Crap Towns / Atherton / Deliberate fires

How many fires get started on purpose in Atherton?

There were 15.5 deliberate fires per 10,000 people a year in Atherton from April 2023 to March 2026, 2.7 times the typical town's 5.7. The most common were bins and rubbish set on fire, at 10.2. In 2025/26 it was 16.1, up from 15.5 in 2023/24.

**Over time**
Period	Here	Typical town
2023/24	15.5	5.2
2024/25	15.0	5.4
2025/26	16.1	6.4

**What was set alight**
Fire	Here	Typical town
Bins and rubbish set on fire	10.2	1.9
Grass, woods and crops set on fire	3.7	1.7
Other outdoor fires	1.7	1.5

**Nearby towns**
Town	Distance	Fires per 10,000 people a year
Platt Bridge and Abram	7.4 km	54.2
Little Hulton	4.6 km	47.0
Leigh	4.2 km	41.5
Farnworth	6.0 km	30.9
Kearsley	7.6 km	18.9
Walkden	6.2 km	18.4
Atherton	–	15.5
Tyldesley	2.6 km	11.2
Westhoughton	3.0 km	11.2
Hindley	5.8 km	10.0
Worsley	7.3 km	9.6
The typical town	–	5.7